Wu Jaushieh (; born October 31, 1954), also known by his English name Joseph Wu, is a Taiwanese

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and diplomat currently serving as secretary-general of the National Security Council since 2024. He was formerly the

foreign minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

from 2018 to 2024 and secretary-general to the presidential office of

Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (; pinyin: ''Cài Yīngwén''; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician and legal scholar who served as the seventh president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party ...

from 2017 to 2018. Wu graduated from

National Chengchi University National Chengchi University () is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. First established in Nanjing in 1927, the university was subsequently reestablished in 1954 in Taiwan as the first reestablished "National University". The u ...

, and completed advanced studies in the United States at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

and

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, where he earned a PhD. From 2007 to 2008, he was Chief Representative of Taiwan to the United States as the head of the

Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), also known as Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), Taipei Representative Office (TRO) or Taipei Mission, is an alternative diplomatic institution serving as a ''de facto'' e ...

in Washington, D.C., having been appointed to that position by President

Chen Shui-bian Chen Shui-bian ( zh, t=陳水扁; born 12 October 1950) is a Taiwanese former politician and lawyer who served as the fifth president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progres ...

to succeed his predecessor, David Lee, who was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. On February 26, 2018, he succeeded Lee in that role as well.

Early life and education

Wu was born in

Changhua Changhua (Hokkien Pe̍h-ōe-jī, POJ: ''Chiong-hòa'' or ''Chiang-hòa''), officially known as Changhua City, is a county-administered city and the county seat of Changhua County in Taiwan. For many centuries the site was home to a settlement of ...

, Taiwan, on October 31, 1954, After graduating from Taichung Municipal Taichung First Senior High School, Wu studied

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and graduated with his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(B.A.) in 1978. He then completed graduate studies in the United States, where he earned a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(M.A.) in political science from the

in 1982 and his Ph.D. in the subject from

(OSU) in 1989 specializing in

comparative politics Comparative politics is a field in political science characterized either by the use of the '' comparative method'' or other empirical methods to explore politics both within and between countries. Substantively, this can include questions relat ...

and

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

. As a graduate student at OSU, Wu worked as a staff researcher at the university's political research laboratory from 1984 to 1988 and as a teaching associate from 1988 to 1989. His doctoral thesis was titled, "Toward another miracle? Impetuses and obstacles in Taiwan's democratization," and was completed under professors Bradley Richardson, Richard Gunther, and Chang Hao.

Career

After receiving his doctorate, Wu was as a faculty member in the political science department of

and was deputy director of the Institute of

International Relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

in Taiwan. Formerly the Deputy Secretary General of the Presidential Office for President

, Wu was appointed the chairman of the

Mainland Affairs Council The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) is a cabinet-level administrative agency under the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The MAC is responsible for the planning, development, and implementation of the cross-strait relations p ...

, the body charged with coordinating relations with

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

(

the People's Republic of China ''The'' is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the ...

), by Chen in May 2004. His appointment as Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council proved somewhat controversial due to his reputation as a supporter of

Taiwan independence Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of Chi ...

, especially in light of the simultaneous appointment as foreign minister of former independence activist

Mark Chen Tang-shan/Tan-sun Chen (; born 16 September 1935), also known by his English name Mark Chen, is a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese politician and atmospheric scientist who served as Secretary-General of the Office of the President of the Republic of C ...

. His tenure as head of TECRO lasted one year and three months.

Cross-strait relations

On April 11, 2013, the ROC Cabinet approved a bill to establish a

Straits Exchange Foundation The Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF; ; often abbreviated as 海基會) is a semiofficial organization set up by the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to handle civil and business matters with the People's Republic of China (PRC). Th ...

(SEF) branch office in

and an

Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS; ; often abbreviated as ) is a United front (China), united front organization set up by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the People's Republic of China for handling technical and bus ...

(ARATS) office in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. Wu - who was once the ROC Minister of

- said that for the ARATS office to be established in Taiwan, it would need to have three prerequisites: the office should never evolve to become like the PRC Liaison Office in Hong Kong; the office's mandate must be clearly defined; and the officers must adhere to international diplomatic regulations. In May 2021, he became the first person listed on the “diehard supporters of

” blacklist proposed by the Chinese government. On November 5, 2021, Wu was sanctioned by the

Taiwan Affairs Office The Taiwan Affairs Office is an administrative agency under the State Council of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It is responsible for cross-strait relations and sets and implements guidelines and policies related to Taiwan, which is cl ...

of the People's Republic of China for "fanning up hostility across the Taiwan Strait and maliciously smearing the mainland".

Honors

*2024 Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon

Publications

Articles

* Defending Taiwan by Defending Ukraine, ''

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...

'', May 9, 2024 * Strong US-Taiwanese ties needed to counter rising Chinese influence in the Pacific, '' The Hill'', October 9, 2019 (co-authored with

Cory Gardner Cory Scott Gardner (born August 22, 1974) is an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from Colorado from 2015 to 2021. A Republican, he was the U.S. representative for Colorado's 4th congressional district from ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Joseph 1954 births Living people Ohio State University Graduate School alumni Taiwan independence activists Democratic Progressive Party (Taiwan) politicians Politicians of the Republic of China on Taiwan from Changhua County Representatives of Taiwan to the United States Taiwanese political scientists Ministers of foreign affairs of Taiwan Recipients of the Order of Brilliant Star Taiwanese individuals subject to Chinese sanctions